Burnt
by literallyaudrey
Summary: Set after the events of Frozen, the story begins with Anna and Kristoff's wedding- or rather, when Anna journeys back from her honeymoon. Blackmail, Anna's kidnapping and a heated scene in the alley all lead up to Elsa trying to locate Anna's whereabouts- with a mysterious green eyed boy who refuses to remove his hooded cloak. This time, more than a kingdom is at stake.[Kristanna]
1. Prologue

**Copyright © 2013 by Audrey W.**  
**All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.**

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PROLOGUE

"All. My. Work."

"I did the balloons!"

Elsa smirked.

"Exactly my point. They're not even balloons. They're ice crystal chandeliers."

"Oh."

Anna scuffed her feet against the marble floor and cocked her head, searching for an excuse.

Elsa folded her arms daintily across her chest and gazed regally at her fumbling sister, lips curving up as she surveyed the room she had so painstakingly decorated.

The walls glistened with ice, catching the light in points of purple and green. Elaborate patterns of frost blossomed across the ceiling, coating the ballroom in a shimmering, gauzy layer. At this, Elsa felt a seed of pride blossom inside her- having ice powers wasn't always a bad thing.

The foyer was strewn with fairy lights, and servants were already carting in the food.

Roast chicken, golden and steaming, was heaped on a platter amongst plates of salad, cheese and bread. Fancy wine glasses were lined up along the pink silk tablecloth, ready to be filled with exotic concoctions of all kinds. The ballroom, now empty and pristine, would soon be filled with throngs of feverish people.

Elsa smiled widely.

Anna was still racking her mind. She had to win this one against her sister. She had to have the last laugh. She had to cease this awkwardness- Deep inside, she knew her sister had done most of he work for her wedding, and she loved Elsa for it.

Her wedding! Wedding! Kristoff! Kristoff? Anna's eyes flew open and she gazed at her reflection in the mirror- and promptly regretted it. Her rich brown hair was dull and sticking up in all directions, and the smudged hem of her nightgown lay limply on the floor. She swore she could see a spiderweb on her cheek- her wedding! Thoughts flew through her head, gathering speed and tumbling into a panicked cyclone of jumbled words and scenes. It was her wedding, and she looked horrible!

She faced Elsa. "You win. I have to go. Go get ready for my-" she choked on the word, not used to the fact that she had an actual fiancé and was actually going to say her wedding vows in a few hours. Elsa tilted her head and smiled fondly at her sister. Placing one hand on the her sister's slender back, she swept up the steps and guided Anna to her dressing room.

"I'll make sure it's all perfect," Elsa promised, snowflakes already hovering at her fingertips.

Anna emerged- simply put, not Anna. Outwardly, no trace of the original, awkward, clumsy Anna remained. A beautiful young woman stood in her place.

Her rich golden brown hair was twisted up into an elegant bun, fixed in place with an emerald clasp. A few loose curls framed her jaw, and tumbled down to rest on a gently curved neckline. Eyes, sparkling with mischief and a hint of fear, blinked above a slender nose and red lips.

And if one were to look at her with a critical eye for fashion, one would not be disappointed. In fact, one would wonder where Anna got the icy lace on the borders of her emerald dress from. One would admire the form fitting dress that clung tightly to Anna's waist and flared out gently at her thighs, and marvel at how the colour set off the flecks of green in her wide eyes. In short, one would be stunned.

And so was Kristoff as Anna tried not to trip down the aisle. She may have looked like a different person on the outside, but she was still a hundred percent Anna inside. To Anna, the cheering people and loving expression on her sister's face was just a blur. All she could see were his eyes. They were filled with love.

The music reached a crescendo as she made her way to his side, and she tried not to shift under his intense gaze. He lifted her chin and whispered the same words he had exclaimed months before, "I could kiss you." Anna was in a daze until the priest cleared his throat, and the ceremony began.

Anna, to her surprise, spoke smoothly as she recited her vows, which was an accomplishment in itself. To her even greater surprise, she didn't stammer in embarrassment when they were pronounced man and wife- she was too overwhelmed with a happiness that was beautiful and terrifying. She simply leant over and knew, instinctively, that all their previous kisses would be pale in comparison.

The kiss was passionate, hungry; her fingers twining in his blond hair as she pressed her body to his. Their lips moved in sync, her eyes fluttering, spots of color rising in her cheeks. She was swept up in a wave of dizzy delight, never wanting it to end. Elsa gaped for a moment, then placed a hand demurely to her mouth and sniggered.

Waving her fingers, she sent a small gust of icy air in Anna and Kristoff's way, and they broke apart with their cheeks flushed. Cheers resounded across the hall, and the newly wed couple was carried off in a wave of people, Elsa proudly watching over them both.

Elsa waved as the carriage clattered off, bringing Anna, who was engulfed in Kristoff's arms, with it. Her little sister, the one who invented their secret code of knocking on the door in a certain sequence, the one who always loved her even when she was cold and distant, the one who was so happy to wake up each morning and be alive- was married! She was glad, but she wondered if she'd ever be able to love a man the way Anna did. Probably not, she sighed, her breath crystallizing in the crisp winter air.

Probably not.

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**_A/N: _**

**_Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed the prologue. All writes go to Disney- I do not own any of the characters in THIS chapter. Feel free to review and/or favorite! (Constructive criticism is totally NOT welcome- I fly into a rage whenever I see so much as a negative word. You can't even say no to me. I become hysterical.)_**

**_Yes, that was sarcasm._**

**_I'll upload chapter 1 next year._**

**_Stay tuned. :) - that is an alluring smirk_**

**_-Audrey_**


	2. Chapter One

**Copyright © 2013 by Audrey W.**  
**All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.**

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CHAPTER ONE

Elsa's maidservant, Brita, could see that the beautiful yet terrifying winter was beginning to thaw. She could see it in the drops of water that turned her fingers slick when she ran them against the ice balustrade. She could see it in the blooming of tiny pink petals from the frozen, gritty dirt. She could also see it in the way Elsa paced the empty marble floors of the castle, waiting impatiently for Anna to return from her honeymoon in spring.

"Thank you, Brita," Elsa waved away her food, "but I'm not hungry."

"But your highness! Surely you must eat some-"

"No, no," Elsa drew some documents into the table, "Maybe later."

"You've been working all day-"

"I said _NO_!"

Elsa's voice resounded in the cavernous room, echoing off the walls, harsh and piercing to her own ears. At the same time, an explosion of frost and snowflakes shot from her splayed fingertips, turning the air chilly. The servant Brita stumbled back a few steps, her face white with shock. Elsa gasped at her outburst and lowered her head into her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, everything is just so messed up...there's so many things to do, not enough time, and Anna's not around..."

Brita nodded in understanding. Even during the years when Elsa had ignored her, Anna had been a constant ray of sunshine, emitting an aura that Elsa unconsciously felt better around. Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. She had to learn to control her temper, she chided herself, her fingers white as they gripped the table. It won't do to lose more people in your life.

The atmosphere in the castle that day was unbearably tense. Elsa could feel it in the pit of her stomach, a roiling mass of fear and unease that grew larger with every passing second. Her pen slipped roughly on the fresh piece of parchment, and she groaned, rolling it neatly into a ball and chucking it with more force than needed into the waste paper basket by her side. She couldn't put her finger on what was bothering her. It constantly occupied her thoughts, and she didn't even know what it was! Anna would be shocked to see her like this, Elsa mused, the otherwise poised and collected snow queen a jangle of nerves trying to hold herself together.

Anna. Elsa's mind wandered once again to the person she had been thinking about for the past few days. Was she all right? Was Kristoff treating her well? They would be on a ship, Elsa recalled, sailing East to journey the Delugos Archipelago. Her heart stopped in her chest for a moment. She remembered the day she had received the news, the first time she was too sad and afraid to even cry. The tears wouldn't come beneath her black mourning veil. The day her parents died. She refused to lose her sister that way. Elsa knew her fears were unfounded, but she was unused to being apart from Anna for so long. Add that to the feeling of wary unease in her stomach, and she couldn't function properly.

Standing from the chair, her gown swirling around her, she stalked through the doors and disappeared.

The life of a queen is extremely hard. One must talk to delegates and ambassadors from other countries patiently (which of course is very hard to do), look through thousands of documents, review the current laws and set new, better ones (so as to avoid an angry mob at the palace) and make sure every citizen in the kingdom is adequately provided with. Also, one should be very relieved by the time night falls. In this case, one was Elsa.

An owl hooted jeeringly in the distance, and Elsa slipped with a sigh into her large, cold bed. She had no need for covers; they were folded neatly in the closet, and had been gathering dust there ever since she had remembered. Her eyes closed wearily, her tense fingers loosening, her head sinking slowly into the plush velvet pillows. A shrill noise pierced the night, sending her body into spasms of shock. She bolted rigidly up in bed and sent a wall of ice crashing into the opposite side of the room, crushing part of the desk that rested there. Her breath came out in shallow pants, her narrowed blue eyes scouring the dark room for signs of movement, when she realized it was only the phone ringing.

"Elsa? Elsa! Are you there?" A tinny voice echoed through the receiver. The phone nearly slipped from Elsa's grip.

"Anna!"

Her surroundings were spinning- Elsa gripped the phone tightly, as if the motion would keep Anna closer. She knew that the reception on the islands weren't good, and a phone call was extremely rare.

"Elsa! Can you hear me? I'm just calling to tell you that I'm boarding the ship home!" A carefree flurry of snow whipped up around Elsa, mirroring how she felt inside. "But Elsa, Kristoff won't be with me, he has a job to complete somewhere else. You know, delivering ice... It's cool"-Anna giggled at her own joke- "Can you send someone to fetch me at the docks?"

Elsa didn't care. She'd meet Anna at the docks herself. She remembered visiting the jetty once when she was very little, her sisters hand gripped firmly in hers, the salty tang of seawater in her mouth. A glop of seagull feces had landed right in front of her, and she screamed half in fear and the other half for fun. Anna had screamed happily too, and they'd run around in circles looking out at the blue-green water until their parents scooped them up and brought them back to the carriage. Elsa recalled seeing the giant ships, masts like looming giants, prows long and intimidating. At the time, she loved those ships. Now she didn't anymore.

"Bye, Elsa, I love you-"

Elsa was about to reply when a strange sound echoed from the receiver the phone suddenly went dead, the monotonous beep in Elsa's ear a sudden change from Anna's expressive, light tone. Her heart skipped a beat.

She blamed it on the poor reception.

Brita could see that the beautiful yet terrifying winter was beginning to thaw. She could see it in the droplets of melted frost on the soles of her boots. She could smell it in the fresh new earth that was buzzing with life underneath. And most of all, she could hear it in the way Elsa's soft, sad, flowing voice drifted out from behind her bedroom door.

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

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_**A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! 2013 was an amazing year, and occasional flashbacks of all the crazy things I did and all the lovely people I talked to will drift through my mind. I'm betting 2014 is an even better year, though. I can feel it. The potential of what these 365 days will become, a teasing notion right in front of me. Or maybe I'm too dramatic? *self doubt time***_

_**Moving on, I'd like to thank everyone who followed/favourited/left a review- YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT MEANS TO ME. All my life I've been writing yet too afraid to let other people read it, and so I decided to take a chance and post on . I do not regret that decision. You people are so, SO wonderful!**_ _**Regarding updates: I'll be posting at least once a week, normally twice or, if I'm feeling productive, thrice. Don't worry, I've planned a lot in store for Burnt. **_ _**Leave a review or pm me if you're satisfied with this chapter?**_

_**I love you guys, stay awesome C:**_

_**-Audrey**_


	3. Chapter Two

**Copyright © 2013 by Audrey W.**  
**All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.**

* * *

CHAPTER TWO

The last rain of winter fell in cold, hard sheets onto Arendelle. The sky was a steely gray, the kind of gray that made you feel depressed just looking at it, and the horrible weather meant that most of the citizens were holed up snugly in their homes.

All except, of course, their queen.

Elsa pushed back the damp strands of ivory hair from her forehead, cursing under her breath for not taking a umbrella. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Her boots clattered against the mushy ground as she ran, the hem of her heavy skirts barely brushing the ground.

For a second she missed the dress that she'd made for herself up in the ice castle- it was silken and smooth, flowing around her legs like water, clinging to her body like patterns of frost on a windowpane. She stepped into a puddle and nearly slipped, the fresh beads of mud on her ankles jolting her out of her thoughts. If only Anna could see me now, Elsa mused, adjusting her cape as she went. Why did she even wear this blasted thing?

Elsa haphazardly turned the corner and navigated the alley that would take her to the harbor. Anna's ship would be arriving at a quarter to ten, and Elsa had woken up late. As she sprinted, forgetting about her clothes and letting them trail through the mud, she caught sight of a coattail disappearing around the corner.

Strange, she thought, as the coattail was a lush green, a far cry from the coarse brown attire that the citizens normally wore. At that exact moment, a cry sounded from where the coattail had vanished, and Elsa snuck in haste to the corner.

Her bright blue eyes blinked wildly in shock- she couldn't even comprehend what she was seeing at first.

A cold puff of air expelled from her open lips.

An old man, the one whom the coattails belonged to, stood menacingly before a young man whose face was turned spitefully in the other direction. The young man's cheek, however, was burning a bright red, trickles of blood running from open wounds across it.

Elsa could do nothing but stare; she had to understand what had happened.

"How dare you fail me?" The older man growled, hand already half raised to deliver another stinging blow.

"I'm sorry, father." The young man muttered. Elsa noticed, for the first time, how green the young man's eyes were, the emerald flecks along the edges captivating her for a moment. Then she shook herself back to reality. Get a grip, Elsa. There's something serious happening here and you have to find out what's going on.

The older man continued. "Don't call me father, you prick," he sneered, "I never loved your mother and I never loved you, and you'd do well to remember that."

"Yes, sir. I apologize."

"APOLOGIZE! YOU-"

Elsa's eyes widened at the string of words that issued from the man's mouth. He certainly swore like a sailor.

"-I GAVE YOU ONE SINGLE TASK AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN DO IT RIGHT! We were supposed to get her on the boat, damn you, but you got knocked out by her! How'd you manage that anyway, you-

-Elsa cringed at the vulgarities-

"Wuss! Now we have to get her at the docks in front of everyone, and have you any idea how risky that is?"

The young man, to his credit, stood stoically through it all, enduring even the flecks of spittle that landed on his face.

"I have a plan."

The cruel planes of the older man's face twisted with interest.

Then they disappeared into the shadows of the alley.

Elsa drew back quickly, the beats of her heart irregular and panicked. What was going on? Get her at the docks? Get who? Knocked out? This is didn't sound good, Elsa thought grimly, I'll have to alert the guards immediately.

Suddenly a thought jumped to the forefront of her mind. Anna! Elsa ran her fingers desperately down her pale face. The boat was already here, and Anna would be in danger alone on the docks. Not knowing what to do first, she grappled with both courses of action in her mind, and eventually chose her sister. Slipping and sliding on the icy stone, she skidded out into the wide, busy area of the harbor.

The first thing she noticed when she emerged from behind the row of buildings was the silence. It was unnaturally quiet for so many citizens milling about in one area, just a few murmurs drifting from mouth to mouth. Nothing unusual was happening, yet the people seemed to sense something wrong. Elsa did too- something about the way the air smelled, how the taste of the salty sea breeze settled heavily on her tongue. She hurried towards the boat, a hulking mass in the distance.

The silence still lingered.

Finally! Elsa spotted her sisters familiar face near the steps of the ship and nearly wept with relief. Those lively blue eyes, that caramel brown braid- she grinned widely and waved her arms, something quite out of character for her. It was normally a regal nod and smile, waving reserved only for her sister. Even then, the waves were small and elegant.

Elsa didn't think Anna spotted her.

Anna spotted her.

In fact, Anna had spotted Elsa ever since she had walked into the harbor.

But Anna didn't wave- or smile. There were two reasons for that.

The first reason was that a gun was pressed firmly at the back of her head, cold and cruel to the touch.

The second reason was that someone's finger was resting lightly on the trigger.

Anna was scared. She felt stripped of her skin. Vulnerable. Too vulnerable. She wanted Kristoff to swoop in and rescue her again. She wanted Elsa to surround her in a warm hug, like she had when they were small and Anna had nightmares. She wanted her parents to live again, her solid, dependable father and her gentle, loving mother. She wanted to be safe.

But at the moment she was anything but.

Elsa frowned. Anna wasn't responding. She looked somewhat- disturbed- and it was unsettling to see Anna's face without a large beam spreading across it. There was also a shadow behind Anna, but it was too still to be a person, Elsa thought.

In the distance, a bell rang, signaling that the ship was about to leave.

"I want yeh to slowly move towards yeh sister. I'll be keepin the gun trained on yeh,

so yeh make one wrong move and me bullet will fly."

Anna trembled as his warm, alcohol reeking breath washed over the back of her neck, so full of terror that she felt faint. She took one small step. Two small steps.

"Good. Now I want yeh to tell 'er to meet you behind that there corner."

Anna's eyes leaked with tears. Carefully, slowly, almost painfully, she made her way to Elsa. She was all too aware of the weapon aimed at her spine- the bullet that would pierce easily through her coat and shatter her back, killing her instantly. She wanted to scream, run, get help from the hundreds of people who swarmed around the harbor.

But she couldn't do anything but walk. Her dress shifted uncomfortably around her legs as she travelled stiffly forward, letting her eyes trail down the familiar sight of Elsa's pristine white braid.

"Elsa-"

Anna's voice cracked.

"Elsa- this man- he-"

Anna nearly broke down. She tried again.

"This man kidnapped me on the boat during our last leg of the journey and told everyone that he was my uncle," Anna sobbed, "and he wants you to go with me around that corner." The words flew out in a rush, Anna's eyes scrunched closed.

Elsa froze. She knew something very, very wrong had happened. And somehow, this linked up with the conversation she had eavesdropped on in the alley. Was the man one of the two she had seen?

The blinding fear in her sister's eyes, her mouth trembling slightly, her chest rising shallowly up and down- Elsa felt like killing the man. In fact, she easily could. But just as Elsa raised her hands to surround Anna in an icy barricade, she saw the gleaming barrel of the gun emerging from the side of the boat. The shadow had been a person after all, she realized, just hidden behind a tower of crates, the gun jutting out from a gap in the middle. She knew, instinctively, horrifyingly, that the bullet would reach Anna before the ice did.

So she did what she had been taught to do- she played the queen.

Elsa's back straightened. Her chin lifted. She swallowed the paralyzing fear in her throat. Her slender fingers wrapped around her sister's wrist, taking comfort in this small gesture of hope, and together they walked forwards together.

From the back, the pair looked like they were taking a leisurely stroll around, just surveying how work at the harbor was going. But if one were to look very closely, they would see that Elsa's hands were shaking.

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**A/N: I AM SO, SO, SOSOSOSOSOSO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING IN SUCH A LONG TIME! School just reopened, which means new teachers and new classmates and all that "make a good first impression" drivel that my parents dump on me. Also, tons of homework, projects and forms- basically everything except free time. But I've found time this weekend and thus have been writing ****_furiously_**** for the past three hours-** **This means I can upload Chapter 3 tomorrow! I keep imagining you guys as an angry (yet loveable) mob swarming against my front door demanding a new chapter, and surprisingly that gives me motivation. **

**Also, I'd like to say a very happy late Single Awareness Day- whoops I mean Valentines- to all of you! PDA everywhere, I tell you. *takes out air sanitizer* I wonder what Elsa would do if she could deliberately colour her ice (according to scenes in the movie it can only change with her emotions)- that would probably be one of the 'seven fictional wonders of the world', WHICH I think should be a real thing/**

**Oh and I forgot to mention - this is a slightly futuristic au in which the technology is more advanced, thanks for pointing it out! ALL YOUR REVIEWS MAKE ME GO SLIGHTLY INSANE FOR A MOMENT ASDFGHJKL ILYSM BEST. FANS. EVER!**

**Review, follow and favourite if you like it *huge virtual hug***

**Audrey **

**:3**


	4. Chapter Three

**Copyright © 2013 by Audrey W.**  
**All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.**

**WARNING: Strong (ish) language and subtle hints of um sexual actions. I'm so awkward. Anyway, enjoy.**

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CHAPTER THREE

Elsa's first impression of the man was that he was shaped like an army tank. Cords of muscle protruded from his bulky shoulders, his frame tall and menacing. Elsa's next thought was that she had not seen this man in the alley.

Then who were the handsome, albeit cold looking, green eyed boy and the surly man who had slapped him? Elsa's head spun.

But there was no time for that now. Elsa drew herself up to look more imposing. The anger boiling in her veins consumed the fear she felt.

"Who are you and what do you want with us?"

"Now, now, sweet 'eart, calm down. We all know that ahm the one with the power in this sit-chu-a-shun. And I intend to keep it that 'a way."

The man spoke in a drawling Southern accent, his grey eyes twinkling cruelly. The rest of his face, however, was obscured by a thick black mask.

Elsa swallowed her hatred. "What did you kidnap my sister for?"

"Very good question, darlin'. Well, I just wanted 'ta ask you a little quest-shun. Would'ja marry me to keep yer sister with ya'?"

Elsa was shocked. Then she was repulsed. Then wildly amused. What kind of a plan was this? This monster wanted to marry her? To take the throne, no doubt. He wanted to be king that desperately.

"What do you mean? Are you going to kill her?"

Anna flinched at Elsa's blunt words. Elsa, however, delivered the sentence calmly.

"Naw, 'course not. Ah'll jest take 'er to my hideout and, mebbe, let my men have their...way with 'er. After all, that must be worse than death itself!" Her laughed callously.

Anna couldn't take it anymore. She sank to the ground, sobbing, her head thumping against the ground. Her fingers clawed helplessly at the dust, her tears soaking the dirt around her. The man's hand tensed, aiming the gun at Anna should she attempt to escape.

She didn't.

Elsa, meanwhile, shrieked in fury. "You- you bastard!" She let the word fly- it wasn't ladylike, but it was accepted in this case. "What is wrong with you?" Elsa was nearly crazy in anger. The situation right now would have been easily resolved- if not for the fact that she had come unprepared, and he had a gun. She felt like- she felt like she could do anything in this state. She breathed rapidly, her nostrils flared, eyes wide.

"Now, now. No need to get yer hair in a mess. So- will ya marry me? Oh, and y'all pretty ladies can call me Joe."

Of course Elsa was going to marry him. What other choice did she have? She opened her mouth, still hyperventilating, her fingers clenched tightly-

Anna screamed. "No, Elsa. Death by snow!"

"Death by snow" had been something they'd invented when they were kids. It had been a snowy day, and Elsa was creating snow creatures in the palace grounds. Anna was going to throw a snowball at Elsa, but Elsa had caught her movements and warned, "Do you really want death by snow?" Anna thought for a while, then laughed happily and flung the snowball at one of the snow creatures instead. "No, Elsa! I'm not stupid!" Her laughter rang out in the crisp morning air.

From then on, "death by snow" was their "think twice". It was particularly helpful when the were adults around, but after the fateful incident happened and Elsa was locked into her room, they never used it again.

Until now.

Elsa stood stock still as the flood of memories consumed her. She thought, carefully: I am a queen, and I must do what is best for my people. If he is king, he can do anything he wants to. He can hold Anna and I under threat- forever. And how do I know he will not harm Anna again? If, on the other hand, she let Anna go back with him, she could formulate a plan, rope in the help of a few others; she could track him down and save both Anna and the kingdom. Joe wasn't even a professional criminal- it would be fairly simple to ambush him. It was, however, heartbreaking to see Anna leave with that- that brute... Elsa steeled herself and made eye contact with Anna.

Are you sure about this, Anna? Will you be okay? Her eyes said.

Yes. I trust you, Elsa. You're my sister! You would never hurt me- and you would never let me get hurt by anyone else. Anna's eyes answered.

So be it, Elsa grimly thought to herself, and turned back to Joe.

"Well, Joe, you're a really nice guy and all...but I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no."

Joe's eyes bulged.

"Wha- Yer shitting me, ain't you? Wot kind of- yer serious?"

I'm not, Elsa cried out inside, but her mouth said, "Yes. Goodbye, Anna. Have fun."

Anna watched her sister stalk confidently off as Joe tried to process what Elsa had just said. She watched her sister as she herself was roughly pulled away by a cursing Joe. She watched her sister as Joe took a length of rope and wound it tightly around her, making her cry out. And at last, as she was shoved into the back of the motorboat, the darkness pressing in on her and making it hard to breathe, she watched her sister break down and collapse by a row of abandoned buildings. Her strong, fierce, shining sister shattering into a million pieces.

Anna didn't know, and never would know, that a figure in a mottled brown cloak was watching her sister too.

Elsa was afraid, her body shaking against the gritty concrete tiles. She hadn't thought this out properly. She may be the queen of Arendelle, able to channel ice and snow through her own flesh, but how was she going to track down her sister's captors if they didn't want to be found? Her lungs contracted, her breaths strangled and jerky. She couldn't think of anyone who would be able to help her either- the castle servants were busy enough keeping the place in order, and the castle guards had once tried to kill her- needless to say, she didn't think she'd feel comfortable traveling with them.

Desperation- this was what it truly felt like. She blew a strand of hair out of her face and tried not to let the fear close in on her heart in its chilly iron grip. A rat scuttled past her shoes, grey and slimy with sewer water, and she couldn't even bother to scream. She let her mind wander back to that scene in the alley. Was Anna the only one who needed saving, or were there two damsels in distress?

She let out a long moan.

Straightening up, shaking away the fear, she resolved to tell Brita that she was going on a long trip to settle some queenly issues, nothing to be worried about. Elsa didn't think telling Brita anything else would brew over well, and she could practically imagine the fair-haired maidservant keeling over in shock, her apron crumpling around her prone frame. Elsa shuddered- a trip to a faraway, made up country it was. And, she thought, making up her mind, she would make that trip alone.

The man in the brown cloak watched intently as the queen made her way towards the castle. Drawing it more tightly around him, he slipped into the shadows and went after her.

Arendelle had once been surrounded in eternal frost and snow, but now, it was surrounded by trouble.

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**A/N: Guys, I'm a little disappointed with the number of reviews and favourites I've gotten for the previous chapter- which, is to say, nearly zero. The views have gone down drastically as well. I love you all and I love this story, but if no one seems to enjoy it, then maybe I'll take this down. I've put a lot of effort into this story, and if you appreciate it, please show it. Thank you!**

**On a brighter note, I've gotten a new macbook, which I am currently using to upload. Oh and as usual, I don't own Frozen (sadly), but I DO own Brita and Joe and characters which will appear in the future! You're going to like the next chapter, because that's when things start to actually ****_happen_****. **

**I'm thinking of maybe doing a httyd fanfic, since I've been in the fandom for nearly four years now (and I'm still in love with Hiccup). Thoughts? (But Astrid you're my girl crush so don't feel jealous.) HTTYD 2 IS COMING OUT JUNE THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE! I watched the trailer nearly 15 times. Man, Hiccup, puberty has been GOOD. **

**Please review, follow and fa-vo-reet! **

**XOXO (you know you love my fanfics),**

**Audrey**


	5. Chapter 4

**_So uhm I'm in a rush bc my mom is hounding me to go to sleep (its past midnight here) but here it is for you guys to read first I'll add the A/N tomorrow _**

**_enjoy!_**

**_(oh yeah even without the fancy legal stuff, this portion is copyrighted and may not be used except for brief quotations in a book review blah)_**

**_I DO NOT OWN FROZEN, BUT ALL NEW CHARACTERS I DO_**

**_Keep reviewing, favouriting and maybe even following if you feel me worthy!_**

**_xxx _**

CHAPTER FOUR

Anna had alway been referred to as the 'younger one', the sweet, clumsy princess who was a welcome addition at Queen Elsa's side. But she had never been spoken of with a mix of respect and fear, and she never seemed to fill up the room with a glittering presence the way Elsa did. It was always Elsa who was protected, Elsa who was in command, Elsa whom people took notice of. But this time, Anna was the one being tracked down.

Rune swept his ebony hair back across his forehead, green eyes sparkling with an intensity that rivaled the sun. His normally full lips were pale and dry, and his eyebrows were creased, a dark aura emanating from his very pores. "The Princess Anna was taken away by a- a mere gang before I got to her! I don't believe this- Father will not be pleased. Ah, who gives a damn about father- this is bigger than him and his favouritism towards Hans." Rune's thoughts doubled back and churned forwards in a dizzying assessment of the current situation. He mused, slowly and painstakingly constructing the foundation of a scheme. His goal was to obtain the younger princess, and he would stop at nothing to achieve it. "But the queen is already on Anna's tail. It'll be messy if I have to fight her for the princess- and I could be wrong about the gang's hideout." His palms grew steadily warmer, and he smacked them against his thighs to control the ball of fire building in his veins. It always happened when he was stressed. How did Elsa control her powers, anyway? That was a question for another time, and he'd have to get close to her to find out- 'THAT'S IT!' Rune toppled over his chair in a daze of excitement. 'I'll gain the queen's trust, and I'll use her to get Anna-" Rune's normally cocky and composed demeanour fell away as he snatched up a piece of paper and started to scribble feverishly.

He was huddled in the servants' quarters, tuning out the harsh noise around him. A spider cast it's glistening web over his moist forehead, but he didn't blink. All his attention was cast on the pulsing green dot that moved northwards on the screen of his device- Rune knew almost everything there was to know about Queen Elsa, more than any man other than her father should, and it was all thanks to this device. It had been made by one of his many "friends", a bespectacled, frightened young man whose family he had threatened, and it helped him to track Elsa's location at any given time. She was represented by a glowing green dot, a color he wouldn't be able to miss, the color of his eyes. It had many, many functions, uses far beyond anyone's imagination. For example, he could search for information- the world's darkest secrets, all at his fingertips! But as for secrets, he only wanted Arendelle's. His lips mouthed words that no one could recognize, his eyes hiding a secret that no one could ever know.

"Hey," A burly arm nudged his back, sending his face flying forwards, "You STUDYING? We don't got no time for that."

Rune didn't reply.

"HEY. You sassin' me?"

Rune continued to read, his lips unconsciously mouthing the words.

"HEY!"

Rune jolted back to reality and shuffled the papers close to his chest. "I'm so sorry. I didn't hear you."

"Little bookworm, eh? Didn't they teach you not to ignore your elders when they're talking?"

Rune ducked his head fearfully, his green eyes covered in a film of tears.

"I'm really, really sorry. I'll never do it again. I just- my dad- he has cancer, and I'm studying for a job that'll bring in more money."

Rune's voice quivered, the beginnings of a sob racking his frame.

"Well," the large, brutish hulk of a man shifted uncomfortably. "In that case, uh...you go back to your work." His gruff tone took on a softer cadence."But be warned, I catch you uh...doing that studying again, I'll fling your head into that there wall!" Reasserting his authority, the large man pointed wildly at the nearest pillar.

Rune's eyes were dilated with fright. "Yes, of course. You'll never catch me doing it again, s-sir."

As the man lumbered off, Prince Rune of the Southern Aisles scoffed under his breath, the meek expression instantly slipping off his face. "Respect your elders, huh?"

Elsa was on her hands and knees, frantically scouring the room for her coat. It would be a series of long, cold, lonely nights, and she would have to barter for ship tickets under the disguise of a merchant.

She shuddered as she thought about the burly men who frequented the docks.

Should she dress up as a boy instead? She could double back after leaving the castle and snip off all her hair in the stables, bind her chest, and nick some clothes from the servant's quarters- she'd be safer that way.

No time to think, she chided herself, scrambling to shove her things in her bag. She was going to have to pull of the impossible, to track down a den of miscreants and rescue her sister, and she was idly pondering these matters? Making sure her belongings were secure, she hefted her heavy bag onto one shoulder and scooped up her gloves.

She blinked. Gloves? She dropped them as if they were on fire, blinking rapidly. It was an action she'd gotten used to for the past decade, picking up her gloves and slipping them on. The memory of her gloves still refused to leave the flesh on her hands- she found them encasing her fingers when she woke up in the middle of the night. It was silly, but the gloves brought back memories she'd prefer to leave untouched, and tears prickled the back of her eyelids.

"Britta!" Elsa called, standing regally beside the castle gates, her hands clasped in front of her. The composed, queenly expression she was so familiar with sliding onto her face like a mask.

"I'm leaving!"

Britta hurried up to the queen, gathering her ruddy skirts up in her hands.

"Oh, on the trip to that county that's causing so much trouble?"

Elsa felt the stirrings of guilt settling in her middle, but kept on lying.

"Yes, it's very urgent and I must leave immediately. I'm so sorry to leave the tidying up of the castle in your hands-"

Britta shook her head firmly. "Nonsense. I'd be glad. Now go on and have a safe trip!" The older woman suddenly stepped forward and embraced Elsa, taking her by surprise. Britta's arms tightened.

"Your parents would be proud," Britta murmured, her warm tone cracking at the end. And quickly, lifting her apron to wipe her eyes, she bustled back to the castle, muttering "that dear, dear child" as she went.

Elsa stood stock still for a moment, strands of hair fluttering against her face. In that second she was totally vulnerable, stripped of any defence she might normally have. Slowly she backed out of the gates- her tears freezing as they fell- and in an instant, she was gone.

Rune slipped the device into his pocket, thinking and gathering up his things. The dirty servant's garb fit loosely on his lean frame, and he shook a strand of dark hair out of his eyes. A smirk settled on his lips- she was cornered, he thought, trapped like one of those mice he'd drowned when he was younger. He had laughed when they died- his mother had smiled at the sounds of his mirth, not knowing what caused it. Now, there was the same glint in his eyes as he swept out of the gates, for Queen Elsa had already begun her journey south.

Elsa trudged through the snow, leaving behind puddles of sludge and dirt. Her shoulders ached, and she could feel pain shooting up her spine with every labored step she took. Her frame shook with the cold. Anna, Anna, for Anna. Her sister's name pushed her forwards with every step. Her veins were injected with ice and adrenaline, her shaking fingers blue and coated with frost. Her coat whirled in the wind, and for some reason, emerald eyes flashed in her mind. The coldness evaporated for a second as she stared into them, holding their fierce gaze. Well, if thinking about that green eyed boy in the alley would help her go on, then by all means. Elsa was swept up into a blanket of snow, her body nearly obscured, only visible by the one who was following her.

Rune tugged his black hood over his face- it would not do for Elsa to see his face. She'd recognize him too quickly, and that was just one of the things he hated about the color of his eyes. He could see her in the distance, cape beaten about by the gale, and swiftly followed her tracks. He ran over the plan in his mind for the thousandth time- and checked the device to make sure it wasn't frozen. It wasn't.

He liked the situation. The weather made sure he was safely concealed from Elsa's vision, and his plan was on the brink of action- he could hear his heart beating over the whirr of the wind. His hood kept his vision clear from the millions of tiny flakes, and Elsa's progress was slow. Everything was just as he imagined- just as it always was.

That is, until Elsa suddenly disappeared from sight.

Rune cursed, sprinting forwards, feet cracking the mounds of frost, and promptly disappeared as well.


End file.
